Northern Irish feel the bite of Brexit with ban on UK bangers

THE future of the British sausage is under threat in Northern Ireland after the EU ruled out demands for the “free flow” of UK meat exports to the country’s supermarkets after Brexit.

“People now need to adapt to changes. The only way to avoid [border] controls is to source things through the EU from now on,” an EU official said.

In December, the EU agreed to a sixmonth grace period on health checks for chilled meat products entering Northern Ireland from the UK.

Before the deal was approved supermarkets, including Sainsbury’s and Marks and Spencer, had warned they would have to curb meat and dairy supplies from the UK.

Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary, yesterday told MPS that Britain wanted to agree a “long-term permanent solution” with the EU during the grace period.

‘People need to adapt to changes. The only way to avoid border controls is to source things from the EU’

Addressing the Northern Ireland affairs select committee, Mr Lewis said: “We want to make sure that you have that good free flow of products such as the Great British banger.”

Michel Barnier, the EU’S chief Brexit negotiator, recently said that now is the time to implement the Withdrawal Agreement and trade deal rather than begin new negotiations.

Senior EU diplomats suggested that there could be talks with Britain to reduce “friction” at the border, such as rules that led to Dutch officials seizing ham sandwiches from lorry drivers arriving from the UK.

However, they warned that could only happen if the UK stuck closely to EU rules after Brexit.

The Government is looking to change the EU’S Working Time Directive, among other rules.

A senior EU diplomat said: “If I read about Singapore-on-the-thames and increasing the working week beyond 48 hours to something like in the 50s … I don’t really think that is a good sign to have discussions on all the outstanding issues – and also the ones in Ireland.”

British sources pointed out the EU had an incentive not to disrupt people’s lives because, under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, Stormont will have a vote on its continued alignment to EU customs rules after four years.